2024 test17 productsPower Tools
Which Cordless Screwdriver Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 17 cordless screwdriver options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Budget pick
Skil
Price shown in test: $25
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Voltage | Weight | No Load RPM | Noise Db | Max Working Torque | Breakaway Torque | Drywall Screw Avg Time | Five Minute Torture | Bit Retention | Claimed Torque | Claimed RPM | Low Torque Clutch | System | Clutch Settings | Kit | Mechanism | Feature | No Load RPM Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warrior$13 | 4.8 volts | 348 g | almost 175 RPM | 72.7 decibels | 20 in lbs, came to a gradual stop | 24 in lbs | 4.27 seconds average, lost hold of the bit after the job was finished | out of gas at just over 3 minutes, did not survive the full test | 548 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Bauer$20 | 4 volt | 380 g | 180 RPM | 73.9 decibels | ran out of steam at 20 in lbs | 20 in lbs, gave up sooner than the Warrior | 3.85 seconds average (4.0s first screw, ~3.8s each on screws 2 and 3) | survived the entire 5 minutes | 608 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Hi-Spec$20 | 3.6 volt, USB charging | 310 g, lightest in the lineup | 209 RPM, most yet at the time of testing | 77.5 decibels, loudest yet at the time of testing | 13 in lbs, really struggled | 35 in lbs, immediately powered down after | 3.5 seconds average (3.2s first screw, 3.65s each on screws 2 and 3), moved into the lead | powered down repeatedly if it didn't get to speed quickly enough; after a couple dozen attempts it survived the entire 5 minutes | 483 g, let go early | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 4Hychika$21 | 4 volt, 2 amp hour, 36 piece accessory set | 381 g | very close to 180 RPM | 72.9 decibels | 23 in lbs, took the lead at the time | 28 in lbs | 4.17, 4.17, 4.06 seconds on the three screws; faster than the Warrior but slower than the Bauer and Hi-Spec | no problem getting up to speed and surviving the entire 5 minutes | almost 3,000 g via its locking quick-change chuck | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 5Skil$25 | 4 volt, USB charging | 372 g | 206 RPM | 76.3 decibels | 29 in lbs, strongest yet at the time of testing | 37 in lbs, most breakaway torque yet at the time of testing | 3.32 seconds average, moved into the lead | survived the entire 5 minutes, great job for a compact screwdriver | 685 g, best of the magnetized bit holders at the time of testing | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 6Craftsman$25 | 4 volt | 422 g, heaviest yet at the time of testing | 171 RPM, slowest yet at the time of testing | 73.3 decibels | 24 in lbs, 5 in lbs less than the Skil | 31 in lbs | 4.53 seconds average, slowest yet at the time of testing | survived the entire 5 minutes but was pretty worn out by the end | almost 900 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 7Black+Decker$25 | 4 volt (claimed) | 351 g | close to 178 RPM | 68.2 decibels, quietest yet at the time of testing | 25 in lbs, moved into second place behind the Skil | 27 in lbs, about the same as the Hychika | 4.1 seconds average | no problem surviving the entire 5 minutes | 981 g | claims 35 in lbs of torque | claims 180 RPM | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8Neu Master$27 | 4 volt (claimed) | 389 g | very close to 200 RPM | 76.7 decibels | 25 in lbs, tied with the Black+Decker | 18 in lbs, gave up early | 3.77 seconds average, but lost hold of the driver bit two out of three times | survived the entire 5 minutes | 309 g, struggled badly on this test | claims up to 53 in lbs of torque | claims 200 RPM | 3 in lbs, lowest clutch setting recorded at the time of testing | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 9Vastar$36 | 7.2 volt | 517 g, heaviest yet at the time of testing | 335 RPM, most yet at the time of testing | 68.9 decibels | 24 in lbs, extra voltage wasn't enough | 60 in lbs, immediately powered down; finished third overall behind the Hercules (109) and Milwaukee (105) | 1.19 seconds average, by far the fastest yet at the time of testing | powered down repeatedly if it didn't reach RPM quickly enough out of the gate; survived the entire 5 minutes after several attempts | locking bit holder, offers plenty of strength, no gram figure given | manufacturer claims 48 in lbs of torque | claims up to 320 RPM | 10 in lbs, very poor torque control | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 10NoCry$40 | 7.2 volt | 567 g | 240 RPM, moved into second place at the time of testing | 76.1 decibels, a lot louder than the Vastar | 42 in lbs, took the lead at 13 in lbs more than the Skil; finished third overall behind the 64 in lbs Milwaukee/Hercules tie | 50 in lbs, second place, continued working after the initial impact | 2.43 seconds average, second place | very easy work of surviving the entire 5 minutes | 480 g, a little weak | up to 53 in lbs of torque claimed | up to 230 RPM claimed | 4 in lbs, moved into second place | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 11Milwaukee$49 for just the tool, not the battery and charger | not tested | 969 g, heaviest yet at the time of testing | variable speed, 45 to 496 RPM | 74.1 decibels | 61 in lbs on a 2 amp battery; retested at 64 in lbs on a 4 amp battery, tied for first overall with the Hercules 2 amp low-range figure of 64 in lbs | 105 in lbs, second overall behind the Hercules at 109 | 1.1 seconds average, second overall behind the Hercules high gear at 0.5 seconds | held very high RPM for the entire 5 minutes | locking bit holder, held on just fine, no gram figure given | not tested | up to 500 RPM | performed the best yet, torque too low for the torque meter to measure | M12 | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 12Worx$50 | 4 volt, semi-automatic driver | 527 g | just about 214 RPM | 66.5 decibels, least noise yet at the time of testing, tied overall quietest with the DeWalt | 16 in lbs, ran out of steam very early | 16 in lbs, least breakaway torque yet at the time of testing | 3.84 seconds average | survived the entire test, not as fast as some of the others | 738 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 13Metabo HPT$75 | 3.6 volt, two lithium batteries included, two-speed transmission | 474 g | 224 RPM in first gear, 673 RPM in second gear (later recap in the same transcript states 763 RPM for what appears to be the same figure) | 71.5 decibels | 8 in lbs in high range, ran out of steam quickly; 22 in lbs in low range | not tested | could not fully sink the screw head in high gear; 2.99 seconds average in low gear, fastest 4-volt screwdriver tested | performed well, survived | locking bit holder, held on just fine, no gram figure given | not tested | not tested | 0 in lbs | not tested | 21 clutch settings | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 14DeWalt$95 | not tested | 506 g | 459 RPM, about 40 RPM slower than the Milwaukee | 66.5 decibels, tied quietest overall with the Worx | 21 in lbs | 47 in lbs, well above average | 1.53 seconds average, finished third overall behind the Hercules (0.5s) and Milwaukee (1.1s) | a little tricky to get going but held very good speed throughout the entire 5 minutes | locking bit holder, held on just fine, no gram figure given | not tested | not tested | 0 in lbs | not tested | 15 clutch settings | two batteries and a charger included | gyroscopic screwdriver, unique among the lineup | not tested | not tested |
| 15Ryobi$100 | not tested | 412 g | very close to 189 RPM | 66.7 decibels | 12 in lbs, last place, described as taking last place from 'the Hitech' | 17 in lbs, about the same as the Worx | 3.38 seconds average | powered down for several seconds after each of several attempts; pass or fail not explicitly stated in the transcript | 886 g, performed well despite earlier struggles | not tested | claims up to 200 RPM | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | pivoting head for increased access | not tested |
| 16Hercules$110 for the screwdriver, battery, and charger | 12 volt, like the Milwaukee | 997 g, heaviest in the lineup | 386 RPM in first gear, 1,259 RPM in second gear, fastest in the lineup | 78.8 decibels, loudest in the lineup | 30 in lbs in high range; tied the Milwaukee's 4 amp figure at 64 in lbs in low range on a 2 amp battery, tied for first overall | 109 in lbs in low gear, barely edges out the Milwaukee, highest breakaway torque in the lineup | 1/2 second average in high gear, fastest in the lineup; 1.3 seconds average in low gear, almost as fast as the Milwaukee | maintained very good speed throughout the entire test in low gear | locking bit holder, performed very well, no gram figure given | advertised up to 312 in lbs of torque | not tested | 4 in lbs | not tested | 17 clutch settings | not tested | not tested | not tested | 0 to 400 RPM claimed low range, up to 1,500 RPM claimed high range |
| 17Makita$188 | 7.2 volt lithium | 541 g | 176 RPM in first gear, 558 RPM in second gear | 69.1 decibels | 12 in lbs in high range, ran out of steam very quickly; 32 in lbs in low gear, fourth overall behind the Milwaukee/Hercules 64 in lbs tie and the NoCry's 42 in lbs | 46 in lbs | could not fully seat the drywall screw in high gear; 3.3 seconds average in low gear | performed well throughout the entire 5 minute test | locking bit holder, performed very well, no gram figure given | not tested | not tested | 0 in lbs | not tested | 21 position clutch | two batteries and a charger included | not tested | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- no-load RPM
- sound level in decibels
- low-torque clutch control
- maximum working torque
- breakaway torque
- drywall screw driving speed, three screws
- 5-minute continuous-load torture test
- bit retention force
Data notes and caveats
Ends with segmented per-use-case picks rather than one overall winner: budget = Skil, mid-range = Vastar, best value for M12 owners = Milwaukee, and a closing overall endorsement of the Hercules ('outperformed the Milwaukee in just about every category'); per spec this is treated as winner:null with the segment picks preserved in each product's notes and budgetPick set to Skil. Several brand names required resolution against the description's Products Tested list: 'New Master' to Neu Master, 'Fastar'/'Vaststar' to Vastar, 'HiKOKI' (bit retention section only) to Hychika by testing order and mechanism, and 'the Hitech' to Hi-Spec by elimination. The Metabo HPT's high-gear RPM is given twice with different digits (673 then 763), both figures preserved and flagged rather than picking one. No meta chapters were present to cross-check against (chapters: null).